RE: Manis tiller/soil building
- To: "'perennials@mallorn.com'"
- Subject: RE: Manis tiller/soil building
- From: S* S*
- Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 11:10:35 -0700
Sorry if I burst you machinery-types bubbles -- but I haven't tilled in
years -- not even new beds over sod. Here is what I do, and I can attest
that it works:
If you have about 6 months to wait (i.e., the fall) you can layer yard
debris (nothing too woody), cardboard, and then yard debriss. I top with a
little finished compost to get the ball rolling. You will have great
digable soil by spring and no grass.
This method I have NOT tried, but read about it Fine Gardening, so I'm sure
it works, if you're in a hurry and don't want to wait 6 months:
Compost, cardboard, compost. You just punch through the cardboard if you
need to, to plant, it said.
Research has shown over the years that that tilling destroys a the soil's
structure and that more compost is "tilled" in far deeper by earth worms.
On empty beds (my cutting garden) I dump several inches of compost on and
just aerate with a spading fork by inserting the fork and gently rocking
back the fork every foot or so.
In established beds, I just top with compost and let the worms get to work.
Susan Saxton, zone 6b
For mine is just a little old fashioned garden where the
flowers come together to praise the Lord and teach all
who look upon them to do likewise.
Celia Thaxter
I AM in shape. ROUND is a shape!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Heather Hallworth [h*@mars.ark.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 1999 8:54 PM
> To: perennials@mallorn.com
> Subject: Re: Manis tiller
>
>
> When I tried rotilling sod the sod just returned. Grass
> around here is hard
> to get rid of.
> Heather on Vancouver Island
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: MYG1728@aol.com <MYG1728@aol.com>
> To: perennials@mallorn.com <perennials@mallorn.com>
> Date: Wednesday, April 14, 1999 7:09 PM
> Subject: Re: Manis tiller
>
>
> >Perennial List 4/13/99 10:04 PM perennials@mallorn.com
> >
> >>I have yet another new gardener question--can I use my new
> Mantis tiller
> to
> >>dig up grass to make new beds? Do I have to cut the sod
> with a spade and
> >>then use the tiller, or can the tiller just cut through the grass?
> >
> >It is somewhat dependent on your soil type. With sandy or
> loomy soil we
> >just fire it up and till up the sod and all with our Mantis without a
> >hitch. If the soil is heavy it can be hard to penetrate the sod .
> >Although we have done it when the area is not too large.
> >
> >w martin
> >myg1728@aol.com
> >http://www.oakmediacreations.com/myg/index.html
> >Zone 5, Southwestern Lower Michigan
> >Martin's Yard & Garden
> >
> >
> >
> >
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